LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10672, 17 February 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A number of Ashburton swimmers took part in tire Timaru High School Old Boys' swimming carnival at Tunaru last evening. G. Field was second m the 50 yards inter-club handicap; A. Lane and Miss B. Lane were second hi the final of the 100 yards dual relay race;- H. Milsom was second in the junior boys' diving competition; and the Ashburton Club's relay team j finished second in the relay race, being I beaten by the Swifts Club's team.

The railway station at Rakaia forms a pleasing relief from the monotony) of the scenery from. Ashburton to, Christchurch, and at present is an object of considerable admiration tor those who travel by tram. A fine bed of roses has been laid out at the south end, and these are now in full bloom, providing a blaze of cheerful i colour to brighten up the somewhat drab background.

The metal recently laid to a depth of several inches on the Methven Road between Springfield and Methven is too rough at present for traffic, and .motorists use the clay flanks. In wet weather this portion becomes very greasy, and constitutes a danger to cars. Realising this, the County ■Council has decided to improve the surface of the newly-metalled portion, and the roller will shortly be put on to it.

Profiting by the experience gained of recent weeks, some of the farmers whose holdings border the railway, line are taking precautions to guard against a recurrence of grass fires starting from sparks thrown out by passing engines. In several paddocks along the line between Rakaia and Ashburton a plough has been taken along and a broad fire-break drawn parallel with the railway, and some have afforded themselves an additional safeguard by burning off the grass between the furrows and the railway.

With the passing of the weeks the full effect of the recent grass fires is becoming more apparent to the eye. The green foliage has now exhausted its store of sap, and wherever the. fire has been the leaves are grey-brown, and are falling off. In the County plantations at Westerfield, Willowby, and along the Chertsey railway line stand hundreds of dry trees, mostly with only a few green boughs at thentops, and in the latter area very few are left that will support new growth. The loss to the County must be measured in many hundreds of pounds.

With the object of assisting the funds of the Manurewa Orphanage, the Ashburton Baptist Church/Young Peoples Society held a stamp collecting competition. At a social, when there were about 50 people present, it was reported that Mr K. Norrish's team was first, having collected 103,000 stamps. Mr H Peterson and his assistants came next with 53,000. During the evening musical items were given and games played.

Every year the shipment of ewes to Addington market is one of the features of the stock world in Poverty Bay. This year many thousands of sheep were bought early in the season for forward delivery during February and March, and some of these are now being shipped to the south. Up to th<e present some 7000 ewes have been sent away, but shipments are now increasing, and during the present week a further 5000 will be sent awav in three different vessels. Bookings ahead are heavy, and regular shipments will be made from this time forward.

The value of technical education as applied to agriculture is exemplified by the case of a man of city training who purchased a farm not far from Auckland and started to work it according to his own lights. For the first two years the venture failed dismally, and the farmer had to mark off substantial debit balances in his ledger. In the meantime he had sent his two sous to Ruakura to learn modern methods. When the boys returned to their home they brought to bear upon the farm the knowledge they had gained at the school. The result was that in the following two years the losses of the first period were counter-balanced and the farm began to show a profit. Since then the prosperity of that agriculturist has never looked back.

j At least two country schools in the [ Hawke's Bay education district did not open last week. It appears that both schools were administered by uncertificated teachers, and when the Hawke's Bay Education Board, in pursuance of the tenets of the Education Act, which hold that no uncertificated teacher shall be employed while certificated teachers are available, appointed certificated teachers to the two schools, the community in each locality promptly turned the new teachers down by the simple method of refusing to find them board, as a consequence of which the schools still remain closed, as the Education Board will j not allow the uncertificated teachers to I cany on. I

An authority on culinary matters is warrant for the statement that "Home Cooking for New Zealand," published by Whitcombe and Tombs, is one of the most comprehensive books on the .subject that the housewife can possess. The compiler, E. Futter, has collected a range of recipes covering hors d'oeuvres, soups, poultry, fish, poultry and game, meats vegetable salads, breakfast dishes, puddings, sweets, savouries, sauces, jams and preserves suitable for cottage or mansion. Cocktails, liquors and temperance drinks, are given in great variety, and under the heading miscellaneous are a number of useful hints, from a dressing for dogs with mange to a substitute for Benger's food. In fact, only the ah- j sence of a series of menus prevents the work being ideal.

Mr W. Meek, one of the ticket collectors at Kent House station, who has just retired after 52 years, remembers when signal lamps were lit by candles.

The Chevrolet Coach is a> new model two-door five-seater closed car. It. appeals very strongly to ladies and to professional men. The Fisher-built j body-work of this car is well known to lie of the highest class. The engine in this car is the famous valve-in-head motor which has proved its power and I economy for many years. It is very re- ' sponsive and easily started even in cold weather. The new safety steering gear relieves the driver of any strain in driving and the brakes are wonderfully powerful. For £312 thore is no car which can compare with Chevrolet. Easy terms may lie arranged with G. H. Carson, the District Agent.—(Advt)

Captain Mitchell, of the Zane Grey party, caught, off' Cape Brett, a world's record black martin, 6Solb. Mr C. "Watkins, in the same launch, landed a 3221 b mako shark, which gave a great display, leaping from 12 to 14 feet out of the water (says an Auckland telegram).

East Street between Tancred and Burnett Streets is being sprayed with bitumen to-day, and the work is expected to be completed by this evening. An Auckland engineer who was passing through Ashburton yesterday commented very favourably on the work done in Burnett Street, whioh he said was a good as any he had seen.

At the Magistrate's Court at Roto- I rua yesterday, Mrs Hose May Cattanach, of Tauranga, a service car driver, appeared to answer to a charge '' that, being in charge of a motor-car, she failed to take reasonable precautions and care, resulting in the death of two passengers, Tieri Tetika -and his wife." After certain evidence had been called the case was adjourned.

The kerb-side petrol pumpr while a ! long familiar feature in the larger centres, is only now coming into use in small towns. With the distribution of petrol in bulk, they are rapidly increasing in number, and at country settlements also these convenient fillers will be installed. Already the Ashburton County Council has received two applications for permits to erect bowsers, one at Hinds and another at Mount Somera.

The visiting American ' athletes, Messrs J. Scholz and L. Hahn, who are the guests of Mr H. F. Nicoll while in Ashburton, were shown over the Woollen Mills yesterday afternoon and indulged in practice on the Domain Oval last evening. This morning they were shown over the Fairfield Freezing Works and Mr Nicoll's stud farm. They will probably attend the -High School swimming sports this evening, and will leave by the * first express to-morrow morning for Dunedin.